Traditonal Easter curd cheese cake - pascha

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Today I'd like to share a recipe for a traditional Easter curd cheese dessert - pascha.



There are two ways to make it, and I'm using the 'cold' method. What makes this dessert special is the prominent flavour and aroma of oranges. Nuts and chocolate pleasantly balance the soft texture of curd cheese; the dessert is beautiful, delicious and safe to make.

You'll find the list of ingredients, method and approximate nutritional value below.

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List of ingredients

  • 3 handfuls (~100 g) pecans, plus some for decoration
  • 100 g dark chocolate
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 cup (~130 g) icing sugar
  • 100 ml whipping cream
  • 200 g butter
  • 1 kg curd cheese, ground three times
  • Orange extract
  • 5 tbsp (~100 g) candied orange peel, plus some for decoration

Method

  1. Chop pecan nuts roughly, and chocolate a bit more finely.
  2. Put 6 egg yolks and 130 g icing sugar into a large heatproof bowl. Beat them together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, starting at low speed and turning it up gradually.
  3. Add 100 ml whipping cream to beaten egg yolks. Mix it in with an electric mixer; the batter should thicken up a bit.
  4. Put the bowl on top of a pot containing boiling water. Mix the contents of the bowl with a mixer over the boiling water for around 10 minutes. The batter should thicken up further.
  5. Add 200 g soft butter, in batches, continuing to mix.
  6.  Add ground curd cheese to batter, one spoonful at a time, mixing cheese in completely before adding the next batch. Pour in a bit of orange extract.
  7. Add chopped pecans and chocolate as well as 100 g candied orange peel to the batter. Stir in the ingredients carefully with a silicone spatula, until well distributed.
  8. Put a clean cheese cloth into a dense strainer, 20 cm in diameter. Pour cheese batter onto the cloth. Spread it across the surface, even out the top and cover with overhanging parts of the cheese cloth. Weigh pascha down with a small plate and an extra weight on top. Put it into a fridge overnight.
  9. After 12 hours in the fridge, gently take the pascha out onto a plate. Carefully remove the cloth.
  10. Decorate with extra nuts and candied orange peel.
  11. Enjoy! 
Approximate nutritional value
100 g
  • 328 kcal
  • Carbs: 18 g 
  • Fat: 25 g
  • Protein: 10 g
  • Fibre: 2 g

1 slice (recipe makes 16 slices)

  • 359 kcal
  • Carbs: 19 g 
  • Fat: 27 g
  • Protein: 11 g
  • Fibre: 2 g

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